Help for water-logged container plants

Everyone has the space to grow a container planting of flowers, herbs, or vegetables. From a limited investment of effort and time by the homeowner, generous rewards are guaranteed.

That is, success is guaranteed if a few, simple rules are followed. Containers must be equipped with drainage holes. Soil must be water retentive but also free-draining. Plants must receive minimum care — grooming of dead flowers, pinching back of too-long stems and fertilizing as needed.

For best results this year, one additional step needs to be taken. After each heavy or prolonged rainstorm, the container should be closely inspected to discover if the container is holding excessive amounts of water.

The retention of water that saturates the soil can result from a plugged drain-hole, not sufficient space between the bottom of the pot and the surface beneath, or the soil becoming impervious to the movement of water because of a loss of soil porosity.

To correct any of these conditions, carefully tip the container on its side and insert a wooden pencil or dowel into the drain hole to free the hole of any obstructions, create a space between the base of the container and the surface it sits on. But the condition of impervious soil is more challenging. Non-draining soil must have the macro-pores restored.

As you know, quality soil is composed of 40 to 45 percent mineral matter (sand, silt and clay), 5 to 10 percent organic matter (compost, peat moss), 25 percent water and 25 percent air. What do you think may happen if most of the air is replaced with water? Easy answer — the plant root drowns, and the above-ground plant parts die. Plant roots cannot live without a continuous supply of fresh air.

What can be done to correct the saturated soil condition and save the plant? If the plant is not too far gone, the plant can be removed from the container, the majority of the wet soil shaken from the roots, and the plant placed on several layers of newspaper to absorb the excess moisture. All of the soil must be removed from the container, and the inside of the container washed and dried.

Before adding new planting soil to the container, place a piece of old window screening over the drain holes to help prevent them from being plugged, and add either large particle size perlite, small size bark nuggets, or even ground wood chips to the soil mix to provide macropores.

If the plants are judged to be worthy of re-use, plant them, firm the soil, water the plants carefully and restore the containers into their designed locations.

All of the procedures suggested for growing plants in conditions of potential super-saturation perform equally well if the challenge was droughty weather conditions. If a determination has been made that the container plant in the saturated soil is not worth saving, plan to fill the container (after replacing the soil) with potted mums.